My name is Matt Sinclair and I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia on 19th October 2005 at the age of 27.
I have written this diary to keep my family and friends informed how things are going with me in Scotland.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

I kicked off my last post hoping to report the progress of my Bone Marrow donor and I was also hoping to prove that 13 isn't always an unlucky number. It's funny how irony has played a part in the last 8 1/2 months...

On a busy M8 motorway between Edinburgh and Glasgow, my car was full with my boss and the stench of Glenlivet after a busted bottle (gotta love the airport luggage handlers). We were heading back home after a rather productive day on the road and as usual my phone started ringing...the display read 'call' so I assumed it must be a drunk aussie mate giving me a call in the middle of their night. With my boss in the car, I decided to let the message bank kick in and opted not to let him hear the boozy slur. I picked up the phone and listened to my message, clearly expecting a chuckle...

The message I received was something I'd be waiting a long time to hear but still caught me off guard - I'm not at all impatient with the docs but very keen to hear about my bone marrow news. After the initial chat about a DQ antigen mismatch...righto, what on the earth does that mean?? I started probing and persisted with the questions. I knew that the Professor wouldn't recommend going down the transplant route if the match wasn't at least an 8/10. My matched was confirmed that I have a possible 9 1/2 to 10/10 match! All of this news was being taken in on the 13th June. Not a bad number...

I had my PCR test (very sensitive blood test) taken today at the Glasgow hospital. After my relatively slow start (14% at 3 months - 7% at 6 months), this PCR test will hopefully fill the doctors in with what going on with me and how my body is reacting to Gleevec. The key for the specialists is to gain the maximum result within 12 months as this will determine alot of things, including life expectancy. It's just a good feeling to know that I have options now and a Bone Marrow transplant may be a road we go down. The results will be back within 3 weeks and this will hopefully make things a little less hazy for us...

The training for the Glasgow to Loch Lomond Bike Ride is going well - the ride is on Sunday 25th June so this should be a good starter for the Glasgow to Edinburgh Ride I've somehow put my name down for. 50 miles seems like a fair hike, even more so as my rides haven't taken much further than Greggs pastry shop and the hospital for the random test whilst I pi*s off a few bus drivers as I hog their lane. I have had a few stern words from my wife and mum, therefore I've donned the helmet and attempting to stick to the cycle lanes.

The Australia trip has been all sorted - booked and paid for! I just can't wait to go home for a couple of weeks and soak up some December rays. Drew and Alana are getting married in the Barossa Valley (wine region just outside Adelaide - near Jacobs Creek) and it's somewhere I've never been. Will be good to watch the Ashes and hopefully we can snatch the beloved trophy back off the poms - but most of all, I'm really looking forward to seeing my family, mates and my brother Nick and Claire's new wee baby that is due in 2 weeks!!

So right now, I'm a happy man. I've finally got some results that have stopped the string of bad news we seemed to be getting used to. The entire time we have remained 100% positive and were sure if we remain like that, we will eventually be met with some news that'll give us a big boost. The route we take still may be with the CML medication Gleevec but it's just good to know now that there are now options...

(Go Australia in the World Cup! - as I write this, Aussies are top of the table! May not be for long until the Brazilians get hold of us...)